1. nde orModified CDC Clear Communication I x Sc e Sheet
Name of material __________________________________________________
Name of person scoring _____________________________________________
Date __ __ / __ __ / __ __ __ __
NOTE: Use this score sheet for short form and oral communication materials. Examples include
Facebook posts, Twitter messages, and scripts for podcasts and call center responses. The shorter
length of social media messages and some oral messages eliminates a few Index items, and oral
delivery eliminates the need for information display items.
Before you begin, identify your primary audience, their health literacy skills, your primary
communication objective, and main message. You must know these 4 pieces of information to score
the material accurately. If you don’t have this information, wait until you do to score the material.
Note about translated materials: If the audiences for the English and non-English versions are
different, you should create and score the materials separately to account for audience differences.
1. Who is your primary audience? ______________________________________________
Note: See Appendix C of the User Guide for a list of common CDC audiences.
2. What do you know about the health literacy skills of your audience?
Consider not only reading and numeracy skills but also motivation, attention, and distractors that may affect
how your audience comprehends and uses your materials. If you don’t have this information, assume average
or limited skills. Examples include knowing what words and numbers your audience uses to describe a health
issue, their familiarity with graphs, and the amount of time they spend reading health materials.
__________________________________________________________________________
3. What is your primary communication objective?
A communication objective is what you want your audience to think, feel, or do after they receive the
message or material. For example: Increase the proportion of women between 18-25 years who intend to
increase consumption of folic acid.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the main message of the material?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
If you are reviewing an existing material with multiple messages, list all possible messages.
__________________________________________________________________________
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2. Modified CDC Clear Communication Index Score Sheet
Using the Score Sheet
The Modified Index has a total of 13 items in 4 parts. These 13 items are presented as questions. The
number of items you score depends on the type of material.
• Part A is applicable to all materials.
• Parts B, C, and D may not apply to all materials.
• Choose one answer for each item you score.
• Only score a point when all instances of an item in the material meet the criteria.
More detailed descriptions and examples of each item can be found in the User Guide.
Part A: Core
Items 2 and 6 have a “not applicable” (NA) option.
Score
Questions (Check one
per question)
Main Message and Call to Action
1. Does the material contain one main message?
A message is the information you are trying to communicate to another person or
group of people. If the material contains several messages, and there is no obvious Yes = 1
main message, answer no. (User Guide page 5) No = 0
NOTE: If you answered No to Question 1, score 0 for Question 2 and
continue to Question 3.
2. Is the main message at the top, beginning, or front of the material? Yes = 1
NOTE: This item isn’t applicable to 1-3 sentence messages, such as tweets. No = 0
(User Guide page 6).
NA
3. Does the material include one or more calls to action for the primary
audience?
If the material includes a specific behavioral recommendation, a prompt to get Yes = 1
more information, a request to share information with someone else, or a broad No = 0
call for program or policy change, answer yes. If the call to action is for someone
other than the primary audience, answer no. (User Guide page 10)
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3. Modified CDC Clear Communication Index Score Sheet
Language
4. Do both the main message and the call to action use the active voice?
Yes = 1
If only the main message or only the call to action uses the active voice, answer no.
No = 0If you answered no to #1 or #3, answer no. (User Guide page 11)
5. Does the material always use language the primary audience would use?
See top of Score Sheet for primary audience.
Yes = 1
If all specialized or unfamiliar terms are explained or described (not just defined)
No = 0the first time they are used, answer yes. Acronyms and abbreviations must be
spelled out and explained if unfamiliar to the audience. (User Guide page 12)
6. Is the most important information the primary audience needs
summarized in the first paragraph or section?
Yes = 1The most important information must include the main message. (User Guide
page 17) No = 0
NA
NOTE: This item isn’t applicable to 1-3 sentence messages, such as tweets,
and infographics. (User Guide page 6).
Part A score Total _____ / 6
(Online posts 2 paragraphs or less and scripts
for audio recordings and prepared responses)
Total _____ / 5
(Infographics)
Total _____ / 4
(1–3 sentence messages)
Comments
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4. Modified CDC Clear Communication Index Score Sheet
Part B: Behavioral Recommendations
Answer this question to determine if items 7and 8 apply to the material.
Does the material include one or more behavioral recommendations for the primary audience?
• If yes – score items 7 and 8.
• Item 8 has a “not applicable” (NA) option.
• If no – skip to Part C.
Score
Questions (Check one
per question)
7. Does the material include one or more behavioral recommendations for
Yes = 1the primary audience?
No = 0If no, STOP here and don’t score Part B. (User Guide page 19)
8. Does the material explain why the behavioral recommendation(s) is
important?
If you offer only numbers to explain the importance of the behavioral Yes = 1
recommendation with no other relevant information for the audience, answer no. No = 0
(User Guide page 20)
NA
NOTE: This item isn’t applicable to 1-3 sentence messages, such as tweets.
(User Guide page 20).
Part B score Total _____ / 2
(Online posts 2 paragraphs or less, scripts for audio
recordings and prepared responses, and infographics)
Total _____ / 1
(1–3 sentence messages)
Comments
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5. Modified CDC Clear Communication Index Score Sheet
Part C: Numbers
Answer this question to determine if items 9 and 10 apply to the material.
Does the material include one or more numbers related to the topic?
• If yes – score items 9 and 10.
• If no – skip to Part D.
Score
Questions (Check one
per question)
9. Does the material always present numbers the primary audience uses?
Yes = 1
Whole numbers are used by most audiences. The types of numbers used will vary
for each audience. (User Guide page 22) No = 0
10. Does the audience have to conduct mathematical calculations?
Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing involve calculations. Calculating
a common denominator for the purposes of comparison is a mathematical Yes = 0
calculation.
No = 1
NOTE: for this item, Yes is scored 0 and No is scored 1.
(User Guide page 24)
Part C score Total _____ / 2
(Online posts 2 paragraphs or less, scripts for audio recordings and
prepared responses, infographics, and 1–3 sentence messages)
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6. Modified CDC Clear Communication Index Score Sheet
Part D: Risk
Answer this question to determine if items 11-13 apply to the material.
Does the material present information, including numbers, about risk?
• If yes – score items 11-13.
• Items 12 and 13 have a “not applicable” (NA) option.
• If no – skip to Calculate the Score.
Score
Questions (Check One
per Question)
11. Does the material explain the nature of the risk?
If the material states the threat or harm and how and why people may be affected,
answer yes. If the material has only the threat or harm but no explanation, Yes = 1
answer no. For example, if the material states there are 1,000 new cases of a
No = 0contagious disease in Springfield, does it also state that people in Springfield may
be more likely to get the disease, why they may be more likely, and how serious the
threat of the disease is? (User Guide page 26)
12. Does the material address both the risks and benefits of the
recommended behaviors?
This includes actual risks and benefits and those perceived by your audience. If Yes = 1
the material addresses only risks or only benefits, answer no. If no behavioral No = 0
recommendation is presented, answer not applicable (NA). (User Guide page 27)
NA
NOTE: This item isn’t applicable to 1-3 sentence messages, such as tweets.
(User Guide page 27).
13. If the material uses numeric probability to describe risk, is the
probability also explained with words or a visual?
Examples of probability information in a risk message are numbers (such as 1 in
5 or 20%). If the material presents numeric risk and also uses text to explain the
Yes = 1probability, answer yes. If the material presents numeric risk and also uses a visual
to explain the probability, answer yes. If the material only presents numeric risk, No = 0
answer no. If the material does not include this type of probability information, NA
answer not applicable (NA). (User Guide page 28)
NOTE: This item isn’t applicable to 1-3 sentence messages, such as tweets.
(User Guide page 20).
Part D score Total ____ / 3 OR ____ / 2 OR ____ / 1
(Online posts 2 paragraphs or less, scripts for audio
recordings and prepared responses, and infographics)
Total _____ / 1
(1–3 sentence messages)
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7. Calculate the Score for the Material
• Step 1: The total points that the material earned (this is the numerator).
» A: _____ B: _____ C: _____ D: _____ = _____
• Step 2: The total possible points that the material could have earned (this is the denominator).
» A: _____ B: _____ C: _____ D: _____ = _____
» Maximum possible points for online posts 2 paragraphs or less, and scripts for audio
recordings and prepared responses: 11, 12 or 13 depending on the number of items
scored in Part D
» Maximum possible points for infographics: 10, 11 or 12 depending on the number of
items scored in Part D
» Maximum possible points for 1-3 sentence messages: 8
• Step 3: The numerator divided by the denominator multiplied by 100 to get the total score.
_____ / _____ x 100 = _____
How to Interpret the Score
The purpose of the Index is to improve the clarity of communication products.
If the total score is 90 or above:
Excellent! You have addressed most items that make materials easier to understand and use.
If the total score is 89 or below:
Note which items scored 0 points. Use the descriptions and examples in the User Guide to revise and
improve the material. Then apply the Index again to check your work. You can use the Index as many
times as you need to revise the material to get a score of 90 or above.
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